Introspectionism
The study of _________ mental events by “introspecting” or “looking within”
Involves observation and recording of one’s own ________ and __________
Introspectionism
The study of conscious mental events by “introspecting” or “looking within”
Involves observation and recording of one’s own thoughts and experiences
Problems with introspectionism
• _________: one person’s impressions are often very
different from another’s
• __________: lack of public access to introspections
• _________ __ ______________: Many interesting mental events are unconscious
• e.g., memory retrieval, or visual processes that lead to
perceptual illusions
• Provides access to ________ of thinking, rather than
the ___________ that underlie it
Problems with introspectionism
• Variability: one person’s impressions are often very
different from another’s
• Verification: lack of public access to introspections
• Reliance on consciousness: Many interesting mental
events are unconscious
• e.g., memory retrieval, or visual processes that lead to
perceptual illusions
• Provides access to products of thinking, rather than
the processes that underlie it
Case of mistaken introspections
People’s judgments of how “close” they were to solving the problem were actually ______ for those who were about to give the _________ _______
Case of mistaken introspections
People’s judgments of how “close” they were to solving the problem were actually higher for those who were about to give the **incorrect answer **
Behaviorism
- Behaviorists wanted to restrict psychology to truly ________, __________ data
- the mind is like a _____ ___: contents cannot be observed scientifically
- thus, behaviorists concentrated on understanding the relationships between _______ and _________
- emphasis on what can be directly observed (______, __________, ____________/_______)
- The goal was to _______ ________
Behaviorism
- Behaviorists wanted to restrict psychology to truly objective, observable data
- the mind is like a black box: contents cannot be observed scientifically
- thus, behaviorists concentrated on understanding the relationships between stimulus and response
- emphasis on what can be directly observed (stimuli, responses, reinforcements/rewards)
- The goal was to predict behavior
Problems with behaviorism
- Can’t account for ______ and _______ of human behavior
- no insight into __________ mechanisms of cognition
- _______ science to observable things is a bad idea (who’s ever seen an electron?)
Problems with behaviorism
- Can’t account for creativity and diversity of human behavior
- no insight into underlying mechanisms of cognition
- limiting science to observable things is a bad idea (who’s ever seen an electron?)
Cognitive approach
- Infer what’s going on inside (the mind)
- study of the structures and processes of the mind and brain that take in, transform, and use information
- sensory information is raw unprocessed physical stimuli affecting our sensory organs
- representations are copies of these sensory data that are stored and manipulated by our minds into something meaningful and interpretable
Cells in the brain
- ________: process information
- ____: “Support cells”
Cells in the brain
- Neurons: process information
- Glia: “Support cells”
Parts of a neuron
- ________: detect incoming signals
- ____ ____: nucleus and cellular machinery
- ____: transmits signals to other neurons
Parts of a neuron
- Dendrites: detect incoming signals
- cell body: nucleus and cellular machinery
- axon: transmits signals to other neurons
Types of neurons
- _______ _______: receive signals directly from sensory organs
- ______ ________: project two muscles to control movement
- ____________: receive signals from and send signals to other neurons
Types of neurons
- Sensory neurons: receive signals directly from sensory organs
- motor neurons: project two muscles to control movement
- interneurons: receive signals from and send signals to other neurons
Limbic system
L
E
M
Limbic system
Learning and memory
emotions
motivation
Basal ganglia
M
M
basal ganglia
motor control
monitor other aspects of movement
Recording electrical activity of neurons
- 2.
Recording electrical activity of neurons
- Electroencephalogram (EEG)
- Event-related potentials (ERPs)
Object recognition
Visual system infers:
- ______ _______ (e.g. man, women, child)
- ______ _______ of scene
- _________ __ _______ (i.e. color or texture)
Object recognition
Visual system infers:
- Object identities (e.g. man, women, child)
- Spatial layout of scene
- properties of surfaces (i.e. color or texture)
